SOFTIE 45

Like the words Softy always said to him, Yeonwoo told Softy that he liked him, too. It suddenly dawned on him: Softy had confessed his feelings many times, but he never had. Yeonwoo reflected on this a little.

Softy was anxious because I didn’t speak my feelings honestly. I should tell him every time. It was just that Softy kept saying he liked me so much that I didn’t have a chance to speak. Although he hadn’t said “I like you” directly, he had always replied “Me too” whenever Softy said it.

[Really? For real?]

“…”

Staring intently at Softy, who was wiggling his butt in excitement, Yeonwoo pressed his lips to Softy’s forehead. At that, Softy leaped into the air.

As a startled Yeonwoo watched with wide eyes, Softy’s body prickled as if he were being jolted by an electric current. Seeing Softy tremble every time the moist lips touched his forehead made Yeonwoo feel joyful.

“Softy, you’re the only one I kiss like this. Softy, you’re my Pair Guide. What did I say a Pair Guide is?”

[My mate!]

“No, not that—it means you’re the only Guide who can Guide me. I told you that back then.”

Saying it out loud made him realize just how special a being Softy had become.

[I want to kiss Yeonwoo, too!]

Claiming he would do it, Softy’s action was to stick tightly to Yeonwoo’s face and not let go. It felt like his head was being munched on, and Yeonwoo couldn’t stop laughing.

“Softy, calm down.”

Softy shook his body back and forth happily, as if the afterglow of joy hadn’t faded yet. It seemed he had completely forgotten the unpleasant incident from earlier.

It was always this easy to make Softy happy. Because he’s so simple and bright, all the worries I’m carrying feel like they don’t matter at all.

He wished things could stay like this… but the changing attitude of the Guide Association and the suspicion that there was a reason they were making him run Gates in circles made him worry that Shin Witaek was plotting something in secret. If only that man would disappear, everything would be fine…

“Softy.”

[Yeah?]

“Shall we go on a date?”

[A date?]

“Simply put, it’s going out to play.”

[Anywhere is fine as long as I go with Yeonwoo.]

Yeonwoo smiled as he looked at Softy. The place he took Softy was a cafe located inside the Guide Association headquarters.

The quiet cafe began to buzz the moment Yeonwoo appeared. It became even more rowdy when he brought along a magic beast as his Guide.

[Is it okay for me to be here?]

“It’s fine. Softy, what do you want to eat? Our Softy likes sweet things, so should I buy you some dessert?”

Implicitly, Softy’s existence had been shrouded in a veil, but it was the Guide Association that had first exposed his existence to the outside. Therefore, those who knew did not hesitate to mention him, and the higher-ups did not stop it.

So, naturally, coming to a cafe like this was fine. Rather, Yeonwoo wanted to reveal himself in a place with many people so that someone would definitively spread the word. Hiding his intentions, Yeonwoo leisurely enjoyed his rest while flaunting the relationship between him and Softy.

Watching Softy eat was enough to make Yeonwoo feel full, but he called a staff member to order even more desserts. And a few days later, a photo of Softy and Yeonwoo was posted on a Blind site for Association employees.

It wasn’t just rumors floating around anymore; a photo had been revealed before the public.

Company 

What is this photo? Is it for real?

🖒 Like ⤷1

Company 

First of all, it’s not photoshopped. Why? Because I saw it clearly with my own two eyes. Everyone knows the rumors going around the Association lately.

🖒 Like

Company 

I thought it was just a rumor. But can a magic beast even awaken as a Guide?

🖒 Like ⤷2

Company 

I don’t know.

🖒 Like

Company 

There’s no such case even overseas. That’s why no one believed it.

🖒 Like

Company 

So all the rumors floating around the Association were true? How can a magic beast be a Guide? No, how can Seo Yeonwoo’s Guide be a magic beast?

🖒 Like ⤷3

Company 

Even if it’s a Guide, if it’s a magic beast, shouldn’t it be killed?

🖒 Like

Company 

Agreed. It’s a crime. There are cases where people secretly raised magic beasts as pets and it became a problem…

🖒 Like

Company 

Hey, it’s Seo Yeonwoo. Seo Yeonwoo. He’s about to die without a Guide, do you think he’s going to be picky?

🖒 Like

Company 

Why aren’t they killing it?

🖒 Like ⤷4

Company 

That’s what I’m saying.

🖒 Like

Company 

Seems like they’re all in it together.

🖒 Like

Company 

But why aren’t the higher-ups stopping this? Isn’t this top secret? It’s kind of strange that rumors were circulating even before Seo Yeonwoo appeared at the cafe…?

🖒 Like

Company 

That’s why I’m watching what I say. There’s no way the closed-off Association would have leaked this information. And from what I heard, that magic beast Guide even takes classes with the rookies. Are the big shots crazy?

🖒 Like

Everything started with Yeonwoo going on a date with Softy. As Yeonwoo intended, his effort of lingering for several hours in the cafe frequented by both Guides and Association employees paid off.

The Guide Association building is large. The Esper Association building alone is divided into places for Espers to stay, train, research, and various other areas. The Guide Association was the same.

In particular, since Guiding often takes place inside the Guide Association building, there were as many as three buildings made up of Guiding rooms. There were also various other areas, such as breakrooms, a building for rookies to receive education, a place for Guides to prepare for fieldwork or emergency deployment, and a place for physical examinations.

The place where Softy appeared was the Education Building. Many people would have seen him on their way to and fro, but those who saw him directly were few and far between. Therefore, Yeonwoo headed to the 1st-floor cafe, a breakroom frequently visited by Association employees and Guides, so they could look at Softy openly.

The numerous people visiting the cafe were able to see Softy. They were interrupted by an Association employee who came running in a flurry after hearing the news, but they were silenced by Yeonwoo asking what the problem was since they hadn’t even left the Association grounds.

Since the Association had been the first to expose Softy, their logic that Softy’s existence should be hidden didn’t hold up. Most people watched quietly and were cautious, but in any place, there are those who cannot contain their curiosity.

Eventually, a photo of Softy and Yeonwoo harmoniously eating cake was captured on someone’s phone.

The blatant sound of the camera shutter reached Yeonwoo’s ears, but he didn’t stop it. Instead, he would look toward them with an affectionate expression, as if telling them to take more. And a few days later, an anonymous post went up just as planned. Although it was a post only for Association people, there are times when such things leak out.

This post was about the fact that Esper Seo Yeonwoo’s Pair Guide was a magic beast. It was the scoop of all scoops. And Yeonwoo’s intention succeeded. When the post went up with photos instead of just words, the internet became rowdy with people arguing whether it was true or not. Even photo experts stepped forward and said in unison that it wasn’t a composite, fueling the controversy even more.

It was shocking news indeed. It was reported on various news outlets, asking if this was the truth. It had been almost a month since Yeonwoo declared he had a Pair Guide, yet the Guide had never been introduced, let alone shown. Only then did the articles pour out, understanding the reason why the Guide hadn’t made an appearance.

The articles flooded the internet with sensational headlines. <Seo Yeonwoo’s Guide confirmed as a magic beast!>, <The hidden Guide’s identity is a slime!>, <Korea’s first S-class Guide, matching rate with Esper Seo Yeonwoo is 93%?>. It was reported in numerous places, and his name was never missing whenever the news was turned on.

No matter how much they tried to take down the articles and suppress them, too many news outlets and broadcasting stations pounced on the fact that Seo Yeonwoo’s Guide was a magic beast. Because it took over the internet before it could spread through the news, it was difficult to stop.

“What shall we do?”